The one feature that most of us iPhone owners want is native instant messaging. With the upcoming SDK release, instant messaging apps will most likely not be able to run in the background (in other words, they may not receive messages when the phone is sleeping or doing other things). However, AppleInsider is reporting on an Apple patent for instant messaging on the iPhone that was filed in August of last year, but just granted in March of this year.
The drawing included with the patent filing looks identical to the SMS application on the iPhone, with some key differences, one of which is word suggestions that appear as bubbles above the keyboard. AppleInsider also reports that this service could be used as a substitute for MMS (multi media messaging) which the current iPhone is lacking.
A new Apple patent showing a head-mounted laser display surfaced today. The patent, which looks like a rather odd pair of sun glasses, would allow you to view video (or your Mac's screen) in a manner similar to the MyVu products. This patent also includes a geeky looking device that attaches to the belt, probably for image/video processing, and battery.
Just as you see white ear buds on many iPod owners, you may soon see Mac users with frickin' lasers mounted on their heads. This would bring a whole new meaning to the word "Machead."
Earlier this week, AppleInsider reported on an Apple TV patent filed in 2006 and just published; it shows DVR features, and the patent also includes a feature where the iPod could be docked with the Apple TV to sync content for on-the-go viewing.
"For example, program data for upcoming programs, e.g., for the next month, can be downloaded and stored on the remote control device," Apple said in the patent. "Thereafter, a user of the remote control device can search programs that are to be broadcast and determine which programs to record. The recording settings can be programmed onto the remote control device, and then be provided to the video device when a data communication is established between the remote control device and the video device."
If Apple manages to implement DVR functionality for the Apple TV, it could definitely bring a game-changing device to the TV industry. Who knows, it could become a direct competitor to the TiVo. Be sure to look through our gallery of patent filing pictures.
Apple just keeps getting hit with lawsuits this month. AppleInsider reports on yet another new lawsuit seeking to bring the iPhone down. Romek Figa of Abraham & Sons filed a 5-page complaint in a Massachusetts district court that alleged Apple violated a patent from 1990. The patent is described as a way for a phone to look up an incoming number and match it with a stored contact, allowing the phone to display the stored contact information.
However, the 1990s-based patent references technologies such as a two line LCD and separate receiver. Figa's complaint requests that Apple be tried by a jury; and if he were to win, Apple would have to stop selling the iPhone and further infringing on the patent. He is also seeking damages for Apple knowingly infringing on the patent.
This suit seems to be a little "over the top," meaning that most phones already do some form of this to retrieve information from a contact list and display it for an incoming call. At least, that's the case with every cell phone I've had. Why hasn't this suit had an impact on any other cell phone manufacturers? What do you think about the suit? Be sure to express your opinions in the comments!
AppleInsider has uncovered news of an Apple patent application for a software concept called a "podmap," which is more or less what it sounds like -- a series of maps or driving directions accompanied by an audio version of the same, downloadable into a portable media device. The way I understand it, think of it not just as downloadable directions, but also a kind of real-world tour. There is even mention of episodic content delivered via RSS.
Like many Apple patents, there's no indication (or even suggestion) that anything like this would ever see the light of day, but it does tell us that Apple is looking at doing more with marrying their hardware with maps software, just like the great improvements we saw in the iPhone's 1.1.3 update. Hardly a surprise, too, that a company so strongly turning towards portable computing is thinking about the needs of portable users. But a cool idea nevertheless, and it also confirms that Apple sees the iTS's podcast model as a strong and easy way of quickly distributing content of all kinds.
An Apple patent application under the name "Illuminated touch pad" has been published by the US Patent & Trademark Office. There are several innovations detailed in the application, but it pertains primarily to touch sensitive inputs that provide light-based visual feedback. Among the variations included is a system that provides feedback with variable intensity (or color) based on direction and speed of the object in the sensing field. It's a possible indicator of some future advancements in the interface of the iPod classic.
The technology presented could be used in a multitude of devices, current and future. Ultimately, it's another indicator that Apple will continue to refine the user experience in innovative ways. Of course, I never had many doubts in that area. The MacNN has a detailed description of the patents applied for.
According to Apple Insider, Apple has filed a patent for a dynamic, OLED-based keyboard that will allow on-the-fly keyboard layouts via software. Each key would have a matrix of OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) that display that key's currently configured character.
Not only would this dynamic keyboard design be able to show you the effects of meta keys on standard keys, it would also allow for swappable language configurations. As a user with a bizarre keyboard fetish, I would personally jump all over this, even if it didn't have the Matias Mechanical Keyswitch.
I'd just like to say that I called it. Way back earlier this year when Apple first announced that you'd be able to use your iPhone to buy iTunes songs at Starbucks, I commented that this was only the beginning, and now Forbes publishes news about a patent that confirms exactly that: Apple is working on other ways to sell downloads (and even merchandise) on the spot to iPhone users.
Imagine being at the movie theater, really liking the film's soundtrack, and having the ability to buy it on your iPhone with a click. Or ordering your latte from your seat at the internet cafe. Or hitting a button to buy something with your credit card at an electronics store, and then having it waiting at the entrance when you leave.
All of these things are possible, providing that a) companies are willing to install the infrastructure in the store, and b) Apple is willing to create the software for the iPhone. Given the prices involved, it'll obviously only start with large chains-- you won't be able to walk into your neighborhood grocery store and do it right away. But there is money to be made here, and if Apple can find common ground with retailers we'll see the Starbucks deal happen in more places for sure.
Apple Insider is reporting that Apple has filed a patent for collapsible ports, supposedly for use inside a coming ultraportable computer. I didn't quite get the idea at first (because supposedly the ports collapse in order to give the innards more room to spread out), but apparently the ports actually sit on the hinge at the back of the unit-- by opening the thing up, you also open up the ports, and can then plug the cords in. So while the system is in storage position, you don't actually need to have a whole port on there-- it can fold up and make for less space.
Ingenious. But does it mean an ultraportable is right around the corner? Seems unlikely to me-- with the iPhone at $600, and the MacBook at $1100, Apple would have to squeeze a 13" display portable in at around $800-900. What's the point? I love my 12" Powerbook, but if I was spending that much on an portable, I'd go with a MacBook anyway.
Loop Rumors is reporting on a patent Apple has filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office entitled, "Multi-media center for computing systems." In short, the filing describes a "media-player with remote control capabilities" that is used to control several media devices, and even share data with those devices.
Perhaps the iPod will grow to include this capability, or maybe even the iPhone. It's also possible that the Apple Remote as we know it today may become more powerful, but it would certainly be more fun to control television with the iPhone. Heck, if my Newton can do it, the iPhone should be a cinch.
Sure you can already listen to podcasts on your iPod right now. No "special menu" necessary. So we don't need a podcast menu, do we? Apparently a recent patent filing suggests otherwise.
A November 23rd 2006 patent application, discovered by Crunchgear, shows an "iPodcasts" menu as part as a method for browsing podcasts. You can look at the application yourself here.
A ZDNet article has a more complete run-down of the actual patented workflow which seems to run like this: 1. Display podcasts. 2. Allow user to select and play podcasts.
A new Apple patent uncovered by PC Pro hints at the possibility of portable user accounts making their way into the Spring '07 release of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. For a quick break down: the long-standing rumor has been that this would allow a user to keep their account - the entire home directory, applications, media, preferences, you name it - on an external storage device like an iPod, and simply plug that device into any Mac and log in with access to all of their stuff. The possibilities are pretty juicy, and for once the language in the patent is fairly straight-forward, if not a little repetitive: "The multi-user computer system, eg. through its operating system, locates user accounts not only in local storage of the multi-user computer system, but also in any removable data storage attached to the multi-user computer system."
While this particular rumor has been in the wind for a few years now, we don't have anything else specifying that it is for sure arriving in Leopard. This could be yet another unused patent, or it could be slated for 10.7 for all we know. As usual, we'll keep our ears out.
Someone at Apple has had to keep the checkbook on call lately. After forking over $100m to Creative for an iPod UI patent spat, Apple has just settled a second lawsuit, this time over various basic elements of the iTunes UI and functionality. We reported this way back in June of '05 when Contois Music Technology originally filed their lawsuit alleging that Apple employees witnessed some of their features at a mid-90's trade show, then promptly ripped them off. The list of duplicated features includes sorting music by genre, artist and album, as well as moving music to a portable device.
This time around, details of the settlement weren't disclosed, so it's anybody's guess as to how much they had to dig out of the couch cushions. Engadget hit it on the head: patent lawsuits are an ugly, expensive beasts, and Apple probably moved quickly to simply settle and walk away to fight another day. After all, it can't be easy being such a large target on top of the coveted DAP industry - especially when you might have stepped on someone else's toes to get there.
Remember all that talk of Creative beating Apple to the punch with patenting various elements of the iPod's UI? Today these talks came to an end, with Apple whipping out the checkbook, and Creative (I'm assuming) throwing a party. That's right: Apple has shelled out USD $100 million to Creative for "a paid-up license to use Creative's recently awarded patent in all Apple products." Fortunately, Apple might be able to get some of that cash back if Creative is successful in suing their way to profitability licensing their patents to anyone else.
There is yet another bright side for Apple, however: Creative has also hopped on board the 'Made for iPod' program, and has a slew of accessories on the way for everyone's favorite little DAP, such as speaker systems, headphones and a family of X-Fi 'audio enhancement products.'
Isn't it great when everyone can just get along and play nicely together - especially when $100m says so? Check out Apple's press release for the rest of the details on the settlement.
In the patent filing itself, Apple denotes various ways imaging sensors could be
embedded into a display, including the example I chose described as follows:
"Integrating image
capture devices into the displays can be done with varying degrees of intrusiveness, depending upon the type of
display. FIG. 3A depicts an exemplary "track" housing scheme of integrating image elements 305 into a deep
encased cell structure display 300 according to one embodiment of the invention. Each image element 305 is integrated
into black strips 310, so that the spaces in-between each color cell 315 and 320 are used for both contrast enhancement
and image capture."
This display looks as though its final function would be similar to a sort of
scanner or large CMOS or CCD, as well as be able to
display images. Imagine being able to stick the display of your PDA on a surface and have the image of said surface
(which then would be flipped from the mirror effect) displayed right on your screen. Why would this be more interesting
than just having a webcam integrated into a laptop? Well for one, you would have a larger sensing field. Secondly a
webcam is usually at the top of your screen, making it semi-annoying to carry on a video conversation with someone on
the screen.
Some other applications of arrays of cameras include after-the-fact virtual camera motion and time dilation
(think Wachowski brothers and technologies invented for the Matrix). I'm not sure this Apple patent will be of a high
enough resolution for these applications, but perhaps some inkling of virtual camera ability from the array will be
integrated.
I don't know if Apple will ever use this patented technology, but I sure hope they do. Feel free
to participate in rumor mongering in the comments.
The one feature that most of us iPhone owners want is native instant messaging. With the upcoming SDK release, instant messaging apps will most likely not be able to run in the background (in other words, they may not receive messages when the phone is sleeping or doing other things). However, AppleInsider is reporting on an Apple patent for instant messaging on the iPhone that was filed in August of last year, but just granted in March of this year. 
Apple just keeps 
An Apple patent application under the name "Illuminated touch pad" has been published by the US Patent & Trademark Office. There are several innovations detailed in the application, but it pertains primarily to touch sensitive inputs that provide light-based visual feedback. Among the variations included is a system that provides feedback with variable intensity (or color) based on direction and speed of the object in the sensing field. It's a possible indicator of some future advancements in the interface of the iPod classic.
According to 
I'd just like to say that I called it. Way back earlier this year 
Sure you can already listen to podcasts on your iPod right now. No "special menu" necessary. So we don't need a podcast menu, do we? Apparently a recent patent filing suggests otherwise.
A new Apple 
Someone at Apple has had to keep the checkbook on call lately. After 
Remember 
